Who

The founder of lastnightsparty.com, party photographer extraordinaire Merlin Bronques snaps shots of the city's inebriated hipsters in various stages of undress.

Backstory

Born Merlin Mondesir in New York—he says he borrowed his mom's maiden name for the moniker "Merlin Bronques"—the future photographer spent his early years near Montreal, where he had a quasi-promising showbiz career as a pop musician. He released five albums and ran an independent record label until his distributor went under. He was then signed to MCA, and released an album to minimal success in 2001 before the label dropped him from its roster a year later. He resurfaced a couple of years later as a nightlife photographer.

Whether it was just a case of great timing or because he has genuine talent, Bronques has attracted thousands of eyeballs to his site, filled with images of sweaty, almost-underage clubgoers. He was one of the first hipster photographers with a major net presence (he's often mentioned in the same breath as The Cobrasnake, aka Mark Hunter, who covers the LA scene), and getting onto Bronques's site remains a badge of honor for attention-seeking nightflies. In 2006, he capitalized on his notoriety with greasy PBR-shotgunning teenagers with the coffee-table book Last Night's Party: Where Were You Last Night? He also shot an ad campaign for Ben Sherman in 2007.

In person

Although he's easy to spot thanks to his trademark bob wig and sunglasses—even in a crowd of outlandishly–dressed hipsters—Bronques has refused to divulge much about himself. Perhaps with good reason. Although Bronques pals around with the barely legal, he's approaching his mid-40s.

Personal

Bronques lives on Bushwick Avenue in Brooklyn.